It’s time for Bits & Bytes…
… where we bring you news, innovations, and thought-provoking insights from AI, IT, and beyond. In this week’s newsletter we’re looking at:
- Microsoft’s Copilot Gets a Major Enterprise Push
- Google’s Gemini Now Remembers Your Preferences
- Amazon Ditches AI Plans for Practical Alexa Updates
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
⚡ Microsoft’s Copilot Gets Major Upgrade for Enterprise
Microsoft is dramatically expanding its AI assistant Copilot with new features aimed at transforming workplace productivity. The platform now includes automated task management, real-time language interpretation in Teams, and custom agents for SharePoint, while already showing impressive results: Bank of Queensland reports 70% of users saving up to five hours weekly, and Accenture is rolling out the tool to 100,000 employees.
With 70% of Fortune 500 companies already onboard and more features launching throughout 2025, Microsoft is positioning Copilot as the essential AI companion for modern workplaces.
TL;DR
- New Copilot Actions automate repetitive tasks.
- Real-time language interpretation in Teams.
- SharePoint sites get AI agents.
- 70% Fortune 500 adoption.
TECH HEADLINES FROM ACROSS THE WEB
💭 Google’s Gemini Now Remembers Your Chats
Google’s Gemini chatbot now comes with a “memory” feature for AI Premium subscribers, enabling it to remember personal preferences and context across conversations. Initially available on web platforms for $20/month subscribers, the feature stores information about users’ preferences, from food choices to coding languages, while Google assures that stored memories won’t be used for model training.
💥 Meta Poaches Salesforce AI Leader
In a dramatic move, Meta has poached Salesforce’s AI powerhouse Clara Shih to spearhead its new Business AI division, just as Salesforce struggles with its AI strategy. The appointment comes at a critical time when Salesforce’s shares saw their worst drop since 2008 over AI concerns, while Meta aggressively pushes its unconventional, “open-source” AI approach against tech giants like OpenAI and Google.
🚨 Amazon’s AI Dreams Crumble: Back to Basics for Alexa
In a stunning pivot, Amazon is reportedly abandoning its ambitious AI makeover of Alexa, instead striking deals with Uber, Ticketmaster, and GrubHub to make its struggling assistant actually useful. This dramatic shift comes after the tech giant’s generative AI plans reportedly hit major roadblocks, forcing Amazon to return to practical partnerships over flashy AI promises.
TECH FOR GOOD
🏥 AI Outperforms Doctors in Disease Diagnosis Study
A groundbreaking study at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reveals ChatGPT-4’s remarkable potential in medical diagnosis. The AI system achieved a 90% accuracy rate in identifying medical conditions, significantly outperforming both traditional diagnostic methods and doctors using AI assistance. While doctors averaged 74-76% accuracy, the finding suggests AI could serve as a powerful “second opinion” tool in healthcare, potentially reducing misdiagnosis and improving patient care.
